FWS patrol vehicles 1950, 1950
Tok’s story
84 years in pictures
Census counts: 104 in 1950, 1,243 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1950 and 2 maps from 1949 on.
- 1942Tok is settled
TokAK
A town of 1,649, settled in 1942.
Population
1,649
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$225K
Census ACS
Household income
$64K
median
Median age
38.6
years
Land area
133 sq mi
Is Tok a good place to live?
Tok’s best subject grade is a B for walkability; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Tok’s January low is -20°F, below both the Alaska town median (7°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F). Only 2 of Alaska’s 69 towns score lower on health. The median household income is $64K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. 62% of the land in Tok is conserved, above both Alaska’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 3 of Alaska’s 68 towns score lower on history. The biggest park or preserve is Tanana Valley State Forest, at 56 acres. Tok has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
How Tok grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Tok is from typical.
Hazard riskavalanches tops the listDOpen →Jobs & income14.5% below the poverty lineDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 87% of U.S. townsDOpen →SchoolsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 10.1% of households have no car; 6.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $225K, 3 years of the county’s $74K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Tok: who provides what
Tok is unincorporated, so Southeast Fairbanks Census Area and regional agencies provide most services.
WaterTetlin Utility SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers49% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSoutheast Fairbanks Census AreaSoutheast Fairbanks Census Area provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Alaska you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAbsentee and Petition OfficeState of Alaska; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9978099780 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Tok.
OutdoorsC+
Tok has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
17 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Tok’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
62.1%conserved
62.1%
conserved · 52,289 of 84,191 acres
17 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tanana Valley State Forest | 0.1 mi | 56 |
| 2. Tok Memorial Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC
Tok’s public schools trail 73% of Alaska districts
Its public schools are run by the Alaska Gateway School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
27%of AK districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tok SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 183 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
HealthD
Tok stands out in Alaska and nationally: a larger share of its adults smoke cigarettes
24% of adults smoke cigarettes in Tok. Of the 42 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Tok. 37% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Tok.
13%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Tok | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 32% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Alaska
1 better13 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Tok | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 73.6% | 68% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 6.1% |
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Very high risk in Tok, with avalanches at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities.
90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesWildfireCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Tok
Tok has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. The July high in Tok is 72°F.
38″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter-17–1°
Spring15–43°
Summer43–70°
Fall12–31°
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Tok
16pages on Tok
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Tok; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Tok residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
About Tok
Census-designated place in Alaska
Tok (, TOKE) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 1,243 at the 2020 census, slightly down from 1,258 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1942
- Area
- 133 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,620 ft
- ZIP code
- 99780
- Area code
- 907
Tok’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Tok.
TanacrossTok
How the neighbors grade
Tok has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Tok reports no FBI crime data of its own. Tanacross isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Tok with a neighbor →
Questions about Tok
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Tok, AK expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.